Fire erupts at Sale Creek pencil factory

A fire alarm triggered at the Wagner Pencil Company in Sale Creek required the Sale Creek Fire Department to respond to the business about 8:20am Monday morning.

There, firefighters found smoke and flames visible from a sawdust collection silo that is located outside and at the rear of the building.

The fire was contained to the duct work and the silo at the business.

The cause of the fire is believed to be from a spark from a machine used during the pencil-making process that ignited the sawdust in the duct work.

The fire was quickly brought under control with minimal damage. There's no exact estimate of damage caused by the fire.

15 firefighters responded to combat the fire, with the Hamilton County EMS on the scene as a precaution. Hamilton County Sheriff's Office responded and the Soddy-Daisy FD provided mutual aid coverage in case of additional calls in the Sale Creek Fire jurisdiction.